Science provides evidence that a critical window for brain development exists during early childhood, when new neural connections are formed during rapid proliferation. Then, through the process of pruning, the connections are refined as those that are not used frequently are prune away, and those used more frequently are reinforced (Center of the Developing Child, n.d.).Thus, a child’s early experiences and interactions with the physical, emotional and social stimuli of their environment play a large role in dictating future cognitive and behavioural development. In adulthood, the brain’s malleability is reduced and it will become increasingly more difficult to alter cognitive functions and behaviours that have already been wired. Studies have shown that many issues in physical and mental health, economic productivity, and social citizenship can be traced back to adverse experiences during childhood; these will be discussed more in-depth inthe body of the paper.

The African continent has the youngest population in the world. According to the World Bank, 200 million people in Africa are between 15 and 24. In Uganda, 78 percent of the country is below 30 with 56 percent below the age of 18. Like other countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, Uganda’s economic growth in recent years has not been accompanied by sufficient job creation. As a result, its youth population is experiencing significant problems in accessing stable employment, and rates of un[der]employment remain worryingly high.In an effort to increase youth employability, policy makers have recently emphasized skill-development programs. In particular, the expansion of formal Vocational Training programs is high on the agenda of most Sub-Saharan African governments, NGOs and international agencies.